Editor’s Note: Marc Hughston, Chief Instructor for Santana Sailing in Long Beach, contributed this article. The content has been published with his full permission, and The Log acknowledges his expertise and authorship. Full attribution for this piece is credited to Marc Hughston.
Fall IS my favorite time of year for cruising Catalina. The days are getting shorter, but the water is still warm and the sunsets are gorgeous in the warm dry air. The anchorages are deserted, and when there is a mild Santana wind, it can mean calm, warm and peaceful anchorages. Here are my notes from a previous fall cruise at Catalina.
It was about 11:00 PM on a Sunday evening in October when we departed Dana Point Harbor, bound for the West End and Big Geiger cove. We motor-sailed our Catalina 34, La Terza Vita, until about 1 AM when a mild north-westerly filled in. We unrolled the big genoa and sailed close-hauled for several hours, making about 4 knots, plus or minus, on a course that brought us in toward Ship Rock at the Isthmus. We arrived with the sun at Big Geiger Cove, and had the whole place to ourselves.
Big Geiger Cove
We anchored bow and stern as the sun rose a bit higher, and then laid down for a few hours of perfect rest. Later that day we swam, snorkeled, and took a dinghy ride to explore Little Geiger, Emerald Bay, and Doctors’ cove. The only boat in Emerald Bay was the Beneteau 48 Cabernet Sky, on a mooring at Indian Rock. I thought of stopping in to say hello, but we were enjoying our own solitude so much, I thought we’d let them enjoy theirs. That night at anchor the sky was so clear you could see Long Beach in sharp detail with its orange glow in the background. The next morning, we were still the only boat in the cove.
Cabrillo Beach
It was Tuesday afternoon that we finally weighed anchor and headed for my favorite anchorage on the North Side of Catalina, Cabrillo Beach. Tucked in behind Little Gibraltar, Cabrillo is a lovely anchorage with a rock islet that used to have a piece of re-bar cemented into it, but it is no longer there to tie your stern rode to. So now the way to anchor bow and stern there is to first lower your stern anchor about 15 feet in front of the rock islet, motor and pay out 240 feet of stern rode while aiming for the high point on Palos Verdes and then lower your bow anchor in about 25-30 feet. Set the stern, then back up 120 feet, set the bow, and you will lie in around 18 feet of water with 120 feet of rode tied off on both bow and stern. It’s perfect.
Avalon
The next day after snorkeling at Cabrillo and dinghying over to explore ashore at neighboring Goat Harbor (no boats there either), we headed out for Avalon, only about 6.4 NM away. The moorings were plentiful and for a while, we had no other boats nearby. And on that Wednesday evening, there was plenty of space at the dinghy dock, and there was no wait for an outside table at the Blue Water Grill. We had a beautiful view of the Casino, and the boat lying in the second row of moorings off the beach. This was a perfect finish.
It’s November now, but there’s still time to enjoy Fall Cruising at Catalina. Keep a sharp weather eye out for strong Santana winds, and make sure you have your copy of Anchoring At Catalina, so you can enjoy a quiet cove and a beautiful clear night at anchor. And if you miss it this year, remember for next time that Fall Cruising can be complete perfection at Catalina.
